Write up on the board at least 25 words that your class are currently learning. Extend the list with words from previous weeks, connectives, days of the week/months of the year, or even technical vocabulary related to maths, literacy or science if necessary.

Next, provide each child with a blank 3×5 square grid. Ask them to choose 15 of the words and to write them into each of the boxes on their grid. Cover the words on the board. Pick a child to turn over their bingo grid and stand up. Pick one of the 25 words at random and call it out. The child standing up must attempt to spell that word correctly. If they are successful, the class can highlight or cross out the word in their grids if they have it. If the word is not spelled correctly, it is left for later and children do not mark the word on their grids. Continue playing until one child has five squares in a row marked. When that happens, they must call out ‘BINGO!’.

The game is not over until the child who called out ‘bingo!’ calls out each of the words on their grid. The words must match your list of successfully spelled words. They must then stand and spell each covered word correctly as you call it out. If the child does not spell all the words correctly, the game has not been won and must continue until the next child calls out ‘bingo!’. The game ends when a child correctly spells aloud all the words on their bingo grid.